Week 2 and Prag

As I’m sitting in my Viennese bedroom, it comes to my attention how extremely far behind I am. Time really flies! It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve posted and I’ve only got another week before I fly home so…I had better get to typing!

July 5^th through July 8^th

The week is normal so far. The students have adjusted to being in Europe but have not quite adjusted to having no air conditioning. On Monday, it’s great to hear what they did over the weekend. Many of them are adventurers. I hear stories of trips to Bratislava, Bruno, Dublin, and so many more. Some of the students even did some sightseeing in Vienna on their own. I love hearing things like that. It makes me happy! The class schedule goes as last week and the culture class goes to the following:

The Imperial Crypt: This is where the Hapsburg family is buried. The family is quite large as are the coffins. The last member of the family buried there is Zita. She died in 1989. It’s kind of surreal to know that the ruling family you’ve been learning so much about is in coffins right in front of you...kind of strange but exciting at the same time.

Schloß Schönbrunn: Now imagine having a summer and a winter home in the same city. This is something no one ever thinks about. I often think of lake cabins or condos on the beach as something similar but NNNNOOOOO…this ruling family had massive residencies for both the winter and summer seasons. This gorgeously yellow palace is their summer residence. We took the morning to take a tour of approximately 42 rooms as well as to see the magnificent gardens surrounding the palace. In the afternoon, we met our culture professor in the winter residence gardens for a picnic and a class discussion.

http://www.schoenbrunn.at/

(Sorry I don't have a picture to post. I find myself forgetting my camera which is bad. I have discovered it's because I've been to several of these places before...still no excuse. Sorry!)

State Hall and National Library: As one of the students put it so eloquently, “This is where Belle fell in love with the Beast.” Once you set foot inside the State Hall, you can believe it. It’s absolutely breathtaking. The Hapsburgs were known for many things and one of them was education. They had an extensive library and it is still one of the largest today. We even got an exclusive tour into the heart of the library. Not only did we see what the common folk see, but we also got to see the inner workings of the stacks. It was kind of cool to feel special =)

Austrian Folk Museum: This particular museum is quite interesting. It shows us how the people of Austria lived long before our time. There were items such as furniture, tools, kitchen utensils, etc. On a scale of 1 to 10, it ranked low on the students list of favorites up until this point. Either way, it’s always cool to see what people did before electricity, cars, and other modern conveniences.

July 9^th through 11^th

Friday morning is an early one. It’s off to Prag and our train leaves fairly early. The students are not excited about being up so early but I know they’ll survive. Prag is a wonderfully old city. Not much of it was destroyed during WWII so many of the bridges and buildings are in their original state. I saw the city last year and was looking forward to seeing it again. The history is interesting, the food is delicious, and the shopping is worth its while. Once we got off the train, we headed for our hostel to unload our stuff. There we met our tour guide, Lucia. She guided us through Prag last year and we loved her so much that we requested her services again. It was great to see her!

She took us on a walking tour of the city, both the old and the new. As she went along, she gave us tons of historical information. Much of it I can’t remember but I did my best to retain what I could.

Most of the students did really well. I mean, it was 100 degrees out and the tour lasted 3 hours. The really sweet thing was that Lucia made us a reservation at a restaurant after our tour. It was great!! We were all ready for a cold drink and some food. After dinner, it was free time for the students until 9 am the following day. My colleague, the camera crew, and a couple of students went for ice cream before heading back to the hostel. Oh yeah…I should have mentioned the camera crew. There were 4 people from media and marketing at the university who met us in Prag to video us for the next week. They are doing a video for our study abroad program…Time to start showering and putting on makeup =)

Saturday morning came earlier than I wanted it to but I was up, ready, and had breakfast before 9. Most of the students were ready and on time. There were only 2 that chose to disregard our requests to be respectful and on time. We had to go upstairs and get them downstairs while the group waited on us. Once they made it down, it was off to the castle. We had a tour of the castle, the basilica, and one more round through the gardens before breaking for lunch. It took about 3 hours which was all we could expect of our students. We all broke for lunch. Most of the students wanted a Mexican restaurant which is strange in the Czech Republic but oh well. My colleague and I chose to do some shopping first. We had carried a sandwich for the tour so we didn’t need lunch right away. I got a good bit of Christmas shopping done at the market and even bought myself some clothes at one of my favorite stores. We then were ready for some ice cream so it was back to our favorite place. Two scoops of yumminess and then it was time for dinner. Lucia had recommended this restaurant with really good prices and excellent food so we decided to try it out. She has good taste because it was great! I was stuffed. By the time we finished eating, walked around a little, and then got back to the hostel; it was time for the soccer game between Germany and Uruguay. This game was to determine 3^rd place so I changed into my German soccer jersey, ordered a cold drink, and watched the game with my colleague and a bunch of Swedes. Lucky for us, Germany won!!

Sunday morning was another early one. We were to meet in the lobby before 9 am with our luggage and prepared for a tour of the Jewish Quarters. Most of the students were ready and had their stuff locked in the luggage room. I had to go upstairs to nicely persuade our 2 rebels to come downstairs. I was NOT happy. Once the 2 slow folks made it downstairs, it was off for our tour. I always find this to be extremely interesting. The Jewish people are always thought to be mistreated by Hitler and his people. While this statement is true, it is also true that it had occurred long before he came along. I always find this to be a cruel reminder about how little respect groups of people have for one another. It was a long hot tour but I was proud of 99% of the students. They followed along, kept up, and at least pretended to pay attention. Once the tour was over, they were free until time to meet at the hostel to head for the train station. My colleague, a couple of students, and myself chose to have lunch together. After a nice salad and some potatoes, we decided to hit the market for any last minute gifts. While walking around the market, we all made a group decision to have just one more trip for ice cream before we left. It was a great decision!!! You can’t go wrong with ice cream. In fact, every time I have a scoop or two, I think about my friend Kelly who can put away ice cream without a thought. Can’t wait to get back for a blizzard but have to admit that I am loving the gelato!!

We got back to the hostel to find all the students there and ready to go. When we got to the station, we still had some time to kill before our train left so we let them roam free just a little longer. They spent their time in Burger King =( We then found that our train would be delayed…now that’s no fun when you’ve got ornery students on your hands. Many of them were mad because we would be on a train during the World Cup Finale which to be honest didn’t matter since Germany lost to Spain. Either way, they made it back for the last few minutes of the Spain versus Netherlands game…sadly though, Spain won =P Before making it back though, I have to report on our train ride. It was MISERABLE!! The air was broken and this train had no windows to open. It was almost unbearable. Several students found comfort in a car farther up but had to be back to our car around 9 because the train would split. A good number of the students opted to tough it out and stay in what they later deemed, “Dante’s Train”. I would have to agree with them. It was definitely NOT a comfortable ride but we all made it safely back to Vienna which is what truly counts!

When I got back to my place, the first thing I did was take a cold shower. It was the best thing since sliced bread…until I started sweating again =( Oh well…time for some sleep. I have a long week ahead of me…